Iran: Shah's Treasure

"France knows well that you are a sovereign who
is essentially charitable toward his people," said Charles de Gaulle to
visiting Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi of Iran. Anyone who can count
palaces also knows that the charitable Shah is immensely wealthy. Until
he began parceling out the royal estates to needy peasants ten years
ago, his lands alone measured almost 2,000,000 acres and included 2,000
villages. In 1958 the Shah set up the Pahlevi Foundation (orphanages,
hospitals), and last week he transformed part of the foundation into an
irrevocable religious trust. In the process, a list of the...